Written by

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

OAKLAND, CALIF. — Would Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin issue an intentional walk to Miguel Cabrera with first base occupied in the playoffs, the way he did at Comerica Park in late August?

He left open that possibility today.

“How a guy is swinging at the time plays into it,” Melvin said before the A’s worked out this afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. “At the time (in late August), he was on fire.”

He then recited what makes it so hard to walk Cabrera intentionally. Their names are Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez, the two hitters directly behind Cabrera.

“You have to worry about Fielder and his numbers off lefties,” Melvin said. “Victor Martinez all of a sudden gets thrown into the mix when you end up putting Cabrera on base.”

Fielder’s numbers off left-handers this year were excellent. He hit .292 with nine homers and 47 RBIs. He also often came through after Cabrera received an intentional walk.

Melvin concluded: “How you work Cabrera has a lot to do with how guys behind him are hitting.”

Fielder and Martinez each hit better in September than Cabrera. So it could be that in this series, Melvin won’t order any walks to Cabrera with first base occupied.

■ OAKLAND INJURIES: As is the case with Cabrera and the Tigers, Oakland’s most prominent right-handed hitter is hurting. Leftfielder Yoenis Cespedes continues to deal with a sore right shoulder that afflicted him in the final stages of the regular season. He came out of the game last Friday night and didn’t play in the remaining two games of the season.

Melvin hasn’t yet declared that Cespedes will be in the lineup for Game 1 on Friday. If he can’t throw well enough to be the leftfielder, but if he can hit, he would be the DH. In that event, first baseman Brandon Moss would likely move to left and lefty-swinging Daric Barton would take over at first.

How much does Cespedes’ presence in the lineup mean to the A’s? When he has been in the starting lineup this year, they are 33 games over .500. When he hasn’t started, they are three games under .500.

■ ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? The yard lines for the Oakland Raiders games are clearly visible on the Coliseum’s grass, even as the field is laid out for this weekend’s Tigers-A’s playoff games. The Coliseum is the last stadium that is home to both a major-league baseball team and an NFL team.